System for Integrated Electronic Communications

ABSTRACT

A system is disclosed for integrating electronic mail, voice mail, and fax mail in a universal mailbox. Message receivers may access their messages with a telephone or a computer regardless of the communication medium used by the message sender. Using a telephone, message receivers may playback voice mail, redirect fax mail, and “listen” to e-mail through a text-to-speech conversion process. Using a computer and modem, message receivers may playback voice mail, view fax mail, and read e-mail by accessing the universal mailbox via connection software. Message senders and receivers may choose from a variety of filter and forward options that allow them to manage their communications via the universal mailbox. Forwarding and conversion of messages is performed automatically. The options are used to define a set of rules to be applied to inbound and outbound messages so that messages are sent and received in accordance with the preferences of the senders and receivers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/430,584, filed on May 6, 2003 entitled SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATEDELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, which was a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/157,818 filed Sep. 12, 1998 entitled SYSTEM FORINTEGRATED ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,633,630, whichwas a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/665,564 filedJun. 18, 1996 entitled SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS,now abandoned, each of which is incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to communication technologiessuch as electronic mail (e-mail), voice mail, and facsimile (fax) mailmessaging. Particularly, the present invention relates to systems forseamlessly integrating communications to facilitate access to electronicmail, voice mail, and fax mail messages via multiple single accesspoints.

2. Description of the Related Art

Communications technology today allows individuals to send messages toone another from virtually any location in the world at virtually anytime of day. The variety of communication modes (e.g., telephone,computer) and communication media (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, fax mail)available today allows individuals to choose one appropriate for thecircumstances. For example, a sales representative in London who needsto contact a home office in Boston may choose to call the home office at8:00 AM local time knowing that no one will be in the office to answerthe call, but that voice mail is available so a message may be left forthe appropriate party. Alternatively, the sales representative maychoose to send e-mail to the appropriate party.

In general, message senders today may select from a variety ofcommunication media while message receivers are limited to the optionselected by the message sender. If the sender uses the telephone toleave a voice mail message, the message receiver is required use atelephone to retrieve the voice mail message. If the sender uses acomputer to send an e-mail message, the message receiver is required touse a computer to retrieve the e-mail message. In the voice mailexample, it may be the case that, on the particular day the voice mailmessage was left, the intended receiver has access to a computerterminal and modem, but does not have access to a telephone to retrievethe voice mail message. In the e-mail example, on the day that thee-mail was sent, the intended receiver may have access to a telephone,but may not have access to a computer terminal and modem to read thee-mail message. In both instances, the message receiver may be unable toretrieve the message because the available communication mode may not beused to retrieve the message. Furthermore, even if the message receiverhas access to a telephone, a computer, or some other communicationdevice, the receiver may prefer using one device over the others. Forexample, the receiver may spend most of his working day on a computerand may therefore, prefer to retrieve all of his inboundmessages—regardless of the originating communication medium—using hiscomputer.

The inability to alter the message medium after a message has been sentout (or to use a communication mode other than the one selected by thesender) unnecessarily burdens both message senders and messagereceivers. Senders and receivers may be required to select a mediumprior to communicating so the parties are assured the communication willbe received in a timely manner. If circumstances for the receiver changeat any point following selection of the medium and the receiver isunable to notify the sender of the change, the receiver may risk missingthe sender's communication because the message may not be accessibleusing an alternate communication mode. In addition, the inability of amessage receiver to retrieve all inbound messages using a singlecommunication mode or device results in additional burdens. Receiversare inconvenienced when they are required to switch, for example,between the telephone to retrieve voice mail and the computer toretrieve e-mail messages.

Technologies have been introduced that address the inconveniencesimposed by widespread use of different messaging media. For example,Text-To-Speech (TTS) technology allows written messages to be heard by amessage receiver. However, message receivers are generally required tointegrate this technology into their own customizedtelecommunications/computer environments. Messages in differing media(e.g., e-mail, voice mail, fax mail) have not been seamlessly integratedinto a single, universal mailbox with capabilities for same-media andcross-media notification and responses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the limitations in currentcommunications technology that require receivers to retrieve messages inaccordance with a predetermined communication medium or in accordancewith the communication mode selected by senders. The present inventionis a seamlessly integrated communications system that combines e-mail,voice mail, and fax mail messages in a universal mailbox withcapabilities for same-media and cross-media notification and responses.The universal mailbox supports cross-media messaging so all inboundmessages—regardless of the originating communication medium—may beretrieved by a message receiver using a single access device orcommunication mode such as a telephone or computer. Cross-medianotification capabilities allow a message receiver, for example, to bepaged when a new e-mail message arrives or to get an e-mail message whena voice mail message arrives. Cross-media responding allows a messagereceiver, for example, to send a voice mail message in response to ane-mail message, send an e-mail message in response to a voice mailmessage, send a fax in response to an e-mail message, etc.

The universal mailbox serves as a single access point for communicationmedia such as e-mail, voice mail, and fax mail and allows messagereceivers to access their messages using a single communication mode ordevice. In a first communication mode using a standard telephone,receiver may listen to voice mail messages, redirect fax mail to a faxmachine, or “listen” to e-mail messages. E-mail messages areautomatically reformatted or converted to a voice mail format through atext-to-speech conversion process. In a second communication mode usinga computer and modem, users may playback voice mail messages, view faxmail message, or read e-mail messages. Messages are automaticallyreformatted or converted into the appropriate format (e.g., xingprotocol.)

The present invention also provides an alternative platform from whichto deliver newsworthy and up-to-date information. Using a standardtelephone (telephone access), users may listen to the latest stock quoteprices, news stories about competitors and customers, and sports scoreupdates from favorite sports teams—information generally available onlyvia on-line databases. Message reformatting or conversion is doneautomatically by a telecommunications or remote access (on-line)information service provider (collectively, access services) thatdeliver inbound messages so message receivers need only specify apreferred communication medium to take advantage of the features andfunctionality of the present invention.

The present invention offers a variety of features to both “senders” and“receivers” of messages. Senders are users who address communications tothe universal mailbox. Senders use a particular communication mode(e.g., telephone, computer/modem) to send messages. Initially, messagesare routed to and stored in a mailbox (i.e., message repository)compatible with the sender's communication mode/medium. For example,messages sent via the telephone may be stored in a voice mailbox.Messages sent via a computer and modem may be stored in an electronicmailbox.

Receivers are owners of the universal mailbox and are the users to whichthe individual voice mail, fax mail, and e-mail messages are addressed.For a receiver, the universal mailbox serves as a single messagerepository from which the receiver may retrieve voice mail, fax mail,and e-mail messages. To take advantage of the universal mailbox, themessage receiver indicates a preferred communication medium by selectingoptions that define rules to be applied automatically by the serviceprovider or access service to inbound messages. For example, a receivermay, by selecting certain options, define a rule to request thatmessages initiated via the telephone be stored in a voice mailbox andforwarded to an e-mail mailbox for later viewing. Alternatively, areceiver may, by selecting certain options, define a rule to requestthat messages initiated via a computer/modem (i.e., e-mail messages) bestored in an e-mail mailbox and forwarded to a voice mailbox for laterretrieval. Any reformatting or conversion of the message that isrequired is performed automatically as part of the forwarding operation.Receivers and senders may also select options for defining rules to sendand receive notifications of incoming messages. Although messages may bestored in and/or forwarded to different physical locations, from themessage receiver's viewpoint, there is one universal mailbox (or messagerepository) that he or she may access to retrieve inbound messages.

To use the universal mailbox of the present invention, the receiverselects filter and forward options to define rules applicable to inboundmessages. As messages addressed to the receiver arrive at the accessservice (which facilitates delivery of the message), the receiver'srules are applied so all forwarding and conversion of messages (ifnecessary) may be performed automatically. In addition, notificationrules, if defined, are applied so the receiver may be alerted to theincoming messages. The receiver then uses the appropriate communicationsmode (e.g., telephone, computer) to retrieve the inbound messages. Forexample, a receiver may dial into a voice mailbox with a standardtelephone and listen to voice mail messages, redirect fax mail to alocal fax machine, or “listen” to e-mail messages (telephone access.)Alternatively, a user may dial into an e-mail mailbox with a computerand playback voice mail messages, view fax mail messages, and reade-mail messages (computer access.)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a system organization diagram of the primary components for apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the functionality of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a data flow diagram for a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the primary components for a telephoneaccess service's internal network for a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred method for replyingvia the telephone to electronic mail messages for a preferred embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for the voice mail filter and forward optionsof the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for the fax mail filter and forward options ofthe present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram for the electronic mail filter and forwardoptions of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram for the live operator assistance filter andforward options of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of the voice mail telephonedial-in access user options for a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic representation of the fax mail telephonedial-in access user options for a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic representation of the electronic mailtelephone dial-in access user options for a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic representation of the voice mail computerdial-in access user options for a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic representation of the fax mail computerdial-in access user options for a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic representation of the electronic mailtelephone dial-in access user options for a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic representation of a common message format fora preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 17 is a flowchart for the telephone access service call flow for apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The present invention is a sophisticated computer system thatfacilitates communications between senders and receivers of e-mail,voice mail, and fax mail messages. The system is comprised of acollection of application programs and services hosted on differentcomputers (or servers) and various devices that are interconnected by aninfrastructure that supports communications between the participatingentities. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, theapplication programs and services as well as the supporting hardwarecomponents of the present invention may be developed and maintained bydifferent service providers who cooperate with one another to providethe features and functionality of the present invention. Using thisarrangement, each service provider may focus on the development oftechnology suited to its particular area of expertise. In an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, the features and functionality maybe developed and maintained by a single service provider or accessservice. The service provider or access service on which the messagereceiver relies for delivery of voice mail, e-mail, and fax mailmessages knows the receiver's preferences as defined in a set of rulesso all messages may be delivered to the receiver in accordance with hisor her preferences. The ability to receive cross-media messages andnotifications based on rules defined in accordance with user preferencesis unique to the present invention.

The features and functionality of the present invention may be describedin accordance with the following terms: Message: a communication inwriting, speech, or signals; substantive information to be conveyed fromone party to another Senders: users sending messages to a user of theuniversal mailbox Receivers: users of the universal mailbox who receivemessages from senders CompuServe Mailbox: on-line mailbox into whichreceivers dial with a computer and a modem to retrieve their voice, fax,and e-mail messages Premiere Mailbox: mailbox into which receivers diala standard telephone to retrieve their voice, fax and e-mail messagesVoice mail: a recorded voice message sent to the universal mailbox Faxmail: a digitized fax message sent to the universal mailbox E-mail: atext message sent to the universal mailbox Sender Options: options tosend voice, fax, text or translated voice-to-text messages ReceiverOptions: options available to immediately notify a receiver of a newmessage or to deliver a message to an alternate device/address Filterand Forward: process of applying rules based on the sender of a messageto immediately notify a receiver of a new message or to deliver amessage to an alternate device/address Store and/or Forward: process ofstoring messages for later review Universal Mailbox: integrated messagerepository for accessing messages using different communication modes;may be comprised of message repositories maintained by different serviceproviders Message Data: addressing/routing information and substantiveinformation to be conveyed to a receiver Message Format: method oforganizing/ aranging/encoding message data to facilitate transport,storage, retrieval, display, etc. Communication/Message method forconveying a message such Medium: as voice mail, e-mail, fax mailCommunication Mode: means or method for sending or receiving messagessuch as a telephone, computer, pager, etc. Service Provider: provider ofaccess to a universal mailbox, in accordance with a particularcommunication mode (e.g., telephone access, computer access). A singleservice provider may support more than one communication mode or severalservice providers may support a single communication mode.

Referring to FIG. 1, a system organizer diagram for a preferredembodiment of the present invention is shown. The universal mailbox ofthe present invention may actually be comprised of more than one messagerepository 10, 12. Inbound messages in accordance with a firstcommunication medium that are to be retrieved using a secondcommunication medium may be stored initially in one message repositoryand then copied to another message repository for conversion andforwarding to the intended receiver. Reformatting and/or conversion maybe performed as part of the message forwarding operation. Alternatively,reformatting/conversion operations may be performed when a receiverretrieves messages. Communications with each message repository may befacilitated by message servers that process inbound and outboundmessages. For example, the message servers may apply a messagereceiver's rules (as defined in accordance with filter and forwardoptions) to the receiver's inbound messages. Sender rules may be appliedby the message servers to outbound messages. Collectively, the serversand associated message repositories function as message gateways so thatusers may access messages in different communication media usingdifferent communication modes.

Each mailbox shown in FIG. 1 (10, 12) may serve as a repository for areceiver's messages and may store messages in accordance withpre-defined protocols and formats for accessing, reviewing, and managingthe messages. The message repository may be implemented as a databasefrom which messages may be retrieved. Access to and communications witha message repository that is part of the universal mailbox may befacilitated by a computer access service provider such as the CompuServeInformation Service 14. Access to and communications with a universalmailbox message repository may also be facilitated by a telephone accessservice provider such as Premiere Communications 16. In the event themessage repositories 10, 12 are maintained by different serviceproviders 14, 16, a dedicated communication link 18 may be establishedbetween the repositories 10, 12 so messages may be transferred betweenthe repositories, reformatted or converted if necessary, and hence,delivered to message receivers in a timely manner and in accordance withthe receiver's preferences. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the dedicated communication link is a X.25 link betweennetwork nodes belonging to the respective service providers. Messagerepositories may hold both inbound and outbound messages.

Different service providers 14, 16 may facilitate access to messagerepositories of the universal mailbox in accordance with differentcommunication modes. For example, one service provider 14, such as theCompuServe Information Service, may provide access to a messagerepository via a computer and modem 20 (computer access.) The computermay be equipped with connection software that has a graphical userinterface, such as the CompuServe Information Manager for Windows(WinCIM). The connection software allows the user to establish andmaintain a connection 22 with the on-line information service 14 and toperform tasks and interact with the service. Preferably, the connectionsoftware is equipped with an audio file player so that the user maylisten to voice mail messages in an audio file format such as the “xing”file format. The connection software is also, preferably, equipped witha fax viewer so the user may view fax mail messages. Another serviceprovider 16, such as Premiere Communications, may provide access to amessage repository via a telephone 24 (telephone access.) Users of theservice may send and retrieve messages by pressing buttons in responseto menu options and talking to recording devices or live operators. Withthe present invention, message senders and receivers may choose the userinterface (e.g., graphical user interface, automated telecommunicationsinterface) with which they are most familiar and comfortable to bothsend and retrieve messages regardless of the communication mediumselected by the original message sender or receiver.

Each service provider or access service may install and maintain servers26, 28, 30, 32, network nodes, and other devices (e.g., switches)configured in accordance with known methods for establishing wide areaor local area networks that support the services offered by theprovider. Users choose a communication mode (such as a computer 20 or atelephone 24) to establish connections 22, 34 with the serviceprovider's network. Interactions with message repositories 10, 12 maythen be facilitated by Communications Servers 28, 32 that are in turnaccessible via Network Nodes 26, 30 that manage network traffic betweenmessage senders and receivers 34, 36 and message repositories 10, 12.

Communications between a message sender and a message receiver may beaccomplished in accordance with the present invention as follows. Amessage sender 20 (who happens to be an information service subscriber,but does not have to be) who wishes to send and e-mail message tomessage receiver 24 may establish a connection 22, via a Network Node26, with an information service 14 such as the CompuServe InformationService. Alternatively, messages may be sent through other third partysources or services such as the Internet, etc. to the informationservice 14. The message sender 34 composes the message on the computer20, supplies an identifier for the message receiver (such as a membernumber), and sends the message. The e-mail message may be routed by theNetwork Node 26 to a Communications Server 28 of the information servicewhich, based on known preferences of the message receiver 36 as definedin a set of rules, makes arrangements to forward the e-mail message toanother service provider 16 (e.g., Premiere Communications) thatfacilitates access to e-mail messages via the telephone 24. The e-mailmessage may then be stored in a message repository 12 of the telephoneaccess service provider 16 for later access by the message receiver 36.When the message receiver 36 calls in to retrieve his messages, theoriginal e-mail message may be translated by the Communications Server32 using a text-to-speech translation process. Although the messagesender 34 chose to communicate with the message receiver 36 via e-mail,using the present invention, the message receiver 34 is able to accessthe message using a different communication mode (i.e., the telephone24.) The conversion of the message from one communication medium toanother is performed automatically. The present invention allows themessage receiver to select options to define a rule that then allows himor her to “listen” to e-mail messages which have been forwarded from theinformation service message repository 10 to the telephone servicemessage repository 12.

The message receiver 36 may also be a message sender and the messagesender 34 may be a message receiver. To send a voice mail message to amessage receiver, the message sender 36 may access thetelecommunications network 34 of the telephone access service 16 (e.g.,Premiere Communications) to leave a voice mail message for a messagereceiver. The voice mail message may be routed by the Network Node 30 toa Communications Server 32 of the telephone access service 16 which,based on known preferences of the message receiver 34, makesarrangements to forward the voice mail message (e.g., via e-mailmessaging capabilities such that the voice mail message as stored in anaudio file is attached to an e-mail message) to another service provider14 (e.g., CompuServe Information Service.) The e-mail message andassociated voice mail message in the audio file may then be stored in amessage repository of the computer access service provider 14 for lateraccess by the message receiver 34. When the message receiver logs in orconnects to the information service (using a computer 20) to retrieveher e-mail messages, the message receiver may retrieve the originalvoice mail message by accessing the associated e-mail message. Thecomputer's 20 connection software equipped with the audio player maythen play for the message receiver 34 the original voice mail messagesas stored in the audio file format. Fax mail messages may also beforwarded in a similar manner from the telephone access service 16 tothe computer access service 14 so message receivers may view fax mailmessages using the fax viewer capabilities of the connection software.

Referring to FIG. 2, an overview of the functionality provided by thepresent invention in a preferred embodiment in which two access serviceproviders cooperate to provide services and functionality in accordancewith the present invention is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, using thetelephone to dial into the universal mailbox, a user may listen to voicemail, review and forward faxes, determine if e-mail has been received,convert an e-mail message to a fax mail message and forward it to alocal fax machine, talk to an operator to set up rules for processinginbound messages (e.g., arrange for notification of inbound messages),and make long distance calls. Using the computer to access the universalmailbox, a user may check e-mail, voice mail, and fax mail messages,review long distance charges on-line, and select options to set up rulesfor filtering and forwarding of information to the dial-in or telephoneaccess service.

Referring to FIG. 3, the flow of data between two access serviceproviders in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention is shown. As shown in FIG. 3, inbound fax mail and voice mailmessages are first processed by a telephone access service (e.g.,Premiere.) Depending on the options selected by the sender and receiver,messages and/or notifications may be forwarded to the computer accessservice (e.g., CompuServe.) Inbound e-mail messages are first processedby a computer access service (e.g., CompuServe.) Depending on theoptions selected by the sender and receiver, messages and/ornotifications may be forwarded to the telephone access service (e.g.,Premiere.) Also, depending on the options selected by the receiver,rules may be applied to messages so they are converted automaticallyfrom one communication medium to another.

Referring to FIG. 4, a block diagram of the primary components for atelephone access service's (e.g., Premiere) internal network for apreferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The telephoneaccess service's system, preferably, supports receiving, playing,saving, deleting, faxing, and replying to e-mail messages. As shown inFIG. 4, the functionality may be provided by several nodes. The nodesand servers that comprise the telephone access service's internalnetwork may be part of a local area network as supported by acommercially available networking package such as Novell's Netware 72.Preferably, one node (e.g., CompuServe Node) 60 serves as an e-mailgateway to the computer access service's network. This e-mail gatewaynode 60 handles the downloading of sign-up requests and new e-mailmessages as well as the sending of e-mail message replies. It receives aforwarded copy from the computer access service of each e-mail messagefor participating subscribers. Also, it maintains the X.25 dedicatedlink to the computer access service's network. Preferably, the e-mailgateway node handles only e-mail and is not responsible for callhandling. The e-mail gateway node repeatedly checks the mailbox account(e.g., Premiere's Mailbox) 58 at the computer access service (e.g.,CompuServe) 14 for new e-mail messages and handles sending e-mailreplies to the mailbox account 58. Preferably, another server (e.g.,E-mail) 62 is dedicated to the storage and retrieval of e-mail messages.When the e-mail gateway node receives a new e-mail message, it notifiesanother network management node (e.g., Netman) 64. This networkmanagement node 64 may, in turn, modify a customer database, forexample, when a sign-up request is received. In general, the e-mailgateway node handles low-level e-mail transmission details whiletelephone calls are processed by other dedicated nodes (e.g., TTSNodeand Telnode) 66, 68 and a switch 70.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one node (e.g.,TSSNode) 66 is dedicated to providing e-mail functionality duringtelephone calls. This e-mail functionality node 66 plays, saves,deletes, notifies, faxes, and creates e-mail replies. Generally, callsmay be processed by a call processing node (e.g., Telnode) 68. However,when special buttons are pressed (e.g., *1), the call may be transferredto the e-mail functionality node 66. When the caller finishes withe-mail related features, the call may be transferred back to the callprocessing node 68 when the caller presses a button (e.g., *).

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention,inbound e-mail messages may be processed as follows. Referring to FIG.4, a message sender 50 who happens to be a computer access servicesubscriber 54 (but is not required to be a computer access servicesubscriber) connects 52 to the computer access service 14 to send ane-mail message to another on-line service subscriber 56. When the e-mailmessage reaches the message receiver's mailbox 56 at the computer accessservice, a rule is activated which indicates the e-mail is to beforwarded to the telephone access service's (e.g., Premiere) mailbox 58.The e-mail gateway node (e.g., CompuServe Node) 60, which uses thededicated link 18 to continually poll the telephone access service'smailbox 58, downloads the new e-mail message, saves it on an e-mailserver 62, and notifies the network management node (e.g., Netman) 64that a new e-mail message has arrived for the message receiver.

Referring to FIG. 5, the message receiver 76 may respond as follows. Themessage receiver 76 calls the telephone access service (e.g., Premiere)16 access number. The call is processed by a switch 70 and callprocessing node (e.g., Telnode) 68 as follows. The caller 76 enters anauthorization code and a personal identification number. The e-mailgateway node is searched to determine whether there are new e-mailmessages in the caller's account. In this example, the caller has amessage and is given the option of retrieving it by pressing a buttonsequence. The callers presses buttons (e.g., *1) to retrieve it. Thecall is transferred from the call processing node 68 to the e-mailfunctionality node 66 which answers the call. The caller presses abutton (e.g., 1) to hear the new e-mail message. The e-mailfunctionality node 66 performs the necessary conversion and plays thee-mail message which is actually located on the e-mail server 62. Afterlistening to the e-mail, the caller may reply by pressing a button(e.g., 4) and selecting from a list of short messages. When the callerfinishes with other e-mail related tasks (e.g., listening, saving,deleting, faxing, and setting options), he presses a button (e.g., *) tomake a call and is transferred from the e-mail functionality node 66 tothe call processing node 68.

Both message senders and message receivers have a variety of messagemanagement options available to them. By selecting from among theavailable options, a set of rules to be applied to a sender orreceiver's messages may be defined. Message management options are usedto control the sending and receiving of messages and associatednotifications so they are delivered in accordance with the preferencesof both senders and receivers. Sender options are the choices a user hasto send a message to the universal mailbox of a message receiver.Preferably, a sender may select a mode by which a message may besent—for example, a standard telephone for voice or fax mail or acomputer/modem for e-mail. The options available to a sender depend inpart on the communication mode and related services offered by theprovider.

Message receivers also have options that allow them to manage theretrieval of messages. The options allow message receivers to select thecommunications medium by which they would like to receive/retrieve theirmessages. By selecting from among the available options, a rule forcross-media messaging may be defined so that all of a message receiver'sincoming messages are forwarded, converted if necessary, and stored in asingle message repository from which the receiver may retrieve themessages. Cross-media repsonding is also possible so message receiversmay respond to a message using a different communication medium that thecommmunication medium in which the message was retrieved. For example, amessage receiver may respond to voice mail using e-mail, respond toe-mail using voice mail, response to fax mail using e-mail, etc.

Inbound message options also allow a receiver (1) to be notifiedimmediately of an inbound message and/or to redirect a message to analternative device/address (i.e., perform an immediate action inresponse to the arrival of the message—immediate filter and forwardoptions) or (2) to have messages stored in the original communicationmedium format or a second communication medium format for laterretrieval (store and forward options.) Store and forward options providethe receiver with different ways, upon dialing in with a telephone or acomputer, to retrieve and manage messages that have been stored.

Based the receiver's immediate filter and forward option settings, thereceiver may be notified of an incoming message as messages (or portionsof messages) may be immediately forwarded to an alternate targetdevices/addresses such as a pager or electronic mailbox. For example, ifan important voice mail message arrives at the intended receiver's voicemailbox, a notification may be sent. Notifications may includecross-media notifications in which a receiver may be notified using acommunication medium that is different than the original communicationmedium used by the sender. For example, a page may be sent to analphanumeric pager alerting the receiver that an e-mail message hasarrived. Alternatively, an e-mail message may be sent in response to thearrival of a voice mail message. The filtering rules (in accordance withthe filtering options selected by the receiver) applied to the messageare based on the sender's originating telephone number or e-mailaddress. The forwarding options available are determined by the type ofmessage received from the sender (e.g., voice mail, fax mail or e-mail)and the alternate target device/address (e.g., pager, e-mail account,fax machine, voice mailbox).

Referring to FIG. 6, voice mail message immediate filter and forwardoptions are shown. When a voice mail message is received, the receiverhas several forwarding options based on who sent the message (asdetermined by the originator's telephone number):

-   -   No forwarding—hold the voice mail message in the telephone        access message repository for later dial-in pickup.    -   Convert the voice mail message file to an audio format (such as        xing) and download to the receiver's computer access message        repository mailbox so the user may “listen” to the voice mail        message using connection software with appropriate audio format        (such as xing) support.    -   Send an alert (including the sender's name/number) to any e-mail        address (CompuServe, Internet, etc.) that a voice mail message        is waiting at the telephone access message repository. A copy of        the voice mail message is left at the telephone access message        repository.    -   Send an alert (including the sender's name/number) to a pager        that a voice mail message is waiting at the telephone access        message repository. A copy of the voice mail message is left at        the telephone access message repository.    -   Send and alert (including the sender's name/number) to any fax        machine that a voice mail message is waiting at the telephone        access message repository. A copy of the voice mail message is        left a the the telephone access message repository.    -   Dial a cellular or landline telephone and play the voice mail to        the receiver.

In addition, a receiver may choose to use several of these rules for oneinbound voice message. For example, a receiver may wish to be notifiedvia a pager and have the voice mail message forwarded to his or hercomputer access message repository.

Referring to FIG. 7, when a fax mail message is received, the receiverhas several immediate filter and forward options based on who sent themessage (as determined by the originator's telephone number):

-   -   No forwarding—hold the fax mail message in the telephone access        message repository for later dial-in pickup.    -   Download the fax file to the receiver's computer access message        repository. The user may “view” the fax mail message using        connection software with fax viewer capabilities. A voice        message sent with the fax may also be converted to an audio        format protocol (such as xing) and downloaded to the computer        access message repository (as a multipart message).    -   Send an alert (including the sender's name/number) to any e-mail        address (CompuServe, Internet, etc.) that a fax mail message is        waiting at the telephone access message repository. A copy of        the fax mail message is left at the telephone access message        repository.    -   Send an alert to a pager (including the sender's name/number)        that a fax mail message is waiting at the telephone access        message repository. A copy of the fax mail message is left at        the telephone access message repository.    -   Redirect any inbound fax to an alternate fax machine. A copy of        the fax mail message may or may not be left at the telephone        access message repository.    -   Dial a cellular or landline telephone and play the voice message        that accompanied the fax mail message.

In addition, a receiver may choose to use several of these rules for oneinbound fax message. For example, a receiver may wish to be notified viaa paper and have the fax mail message forwarded to his or her computeraccess message repository.

Referring to FIG. 8, when an e-mail message is received, the receiverhas several immediate filter and forward options based on who sent themessage (as determined by the originator's e-mail address.) Additionalrules include keyword searches on subjects and priority/high importancemessages:

-   -   No forwarding—hold the e-mail message in the computer access        message repository for later on-line dial-in.    -   Download the e-mail message to the receiver's telephone access        message repository. The user may “listen” to the e-mail message        using text-to-voice translation by dialing into the telephone        access service message repository. A copy may or may not be left        at the receiver's computer access message repository.    -   Redirect the e-mail message to any e-mail address (CompuServe,        Internet, etc.). A copy of the e-mail message may or may not be        left in the computer access message repository.    -   Send an alert (including the sender's name/e-mail address and        message text) to a pager that an e-mail message is waiting at        the computer access message repository. A copy of the e-mail        message is left in the computer access message repository.    -   Convert and redirect inbound e-mail message to a fax machine. A        copy of the e-mail message may or may not be left in the        computer access message repository.    -   Dial a cellular or landline telephone and play the text-to-voice        converted message or a portion of that message (e.g., “You have        received a message from ______ with subject ______.”)

In addition, a receiver may choose to use several of these rules for oneinbound e-mail message. For example, a receiver may wish to be notifiedvia a pager and have the e-mail message forwarded to his or hertelephone access message repository.

Referring to FIG. 9, when an operator takes a message and transcribes itinto a text message, the receiver has several immediate filter andforward options.

-   -   Send the text message (including the sender's name and message        text) to any e-mail address (CompuServe, Internet, etc.)    -   Send the text message (including the sender's name and message        text) to a pager. A copy of the e-mail message is left in the        computer access message repository.    -   Convert and redirect the text message to a fax machine.

When a live call is on hold, the receiver has several options to beconnected with the call:

-   -   A message may be sent to a pager and the receiver calls back in        to join the live call.    -   A call may be made to a cellular telephone and/or a landline        telephone. If the receiver answers, he or she is patched into        call on hold.    -   If the receiver cannot be located, the sender may be placed into        the voice mail

In addition to immediate filtering and forwarding of messages, areceiver may also store messages for later review and forward them afterinitial viewing. A receiver's inbound messages may be stored in eitheror both of two message repositories: the computer access messagerepository and the telephone access message repository. The optionsavailable for reviewing and forwarding messages differ based on thecommunication mode used to retrieve the messages and the communicationmedium.

For the messages stored in the telephone access message repository,receivers may review those messages by dialing in with a standardtelephone. The options for reviewing the messages depend on the type ofmessage (voice, fax, or e-mail.)

Referring to FIG. 10, as a receiver dials into the telephone accessmessage repository, he or she has several store and forward options toreview the waiting voice mail:

-   -   Listen to the voice mail message.    -   Delete or save the voice mail message after review.    -   Forward the voice mail message to any computer access service        account. The new receiver may listen to the voice mail message        using connection software that supports an audio protocol such        as “xing.”    -   Forward the voice mail message to any telephone access service        account. This option is similar to the forwarding options        available on most corporate voice mail packages.    -   Forward the voice mail message to a landline or cellular        telephone. Using this option, a comment may be attached to the        original voice mail message and delivered to another telephone        number.    -   Create a live call to the sender of the voice mail message by        selecting a button (e.g., *). This option may automatically dial        the original number and a response to the voice mail message may        be delivered personally or to the sender's voice mail system.

Referring to FIG. 11, as a receiver dials into the telephone accessmessage repository, he or she has several store and forward options toreview the waiting fax mail:

-   -   Listen to the voice message with the fax mail message and send        the fax to the local fax machine.    -   Delete or save the fax mail message after review.    -   Forward the fax mail message to any computer access service        account. The fax mail message may be viewed using connection        software with a fax viewer.    -   Forward the fax mail message to any telephone access service        account. This option is similar to the forwarding options        available on most corporate voice mail packages.    -   Attach a voice-to-text comment with the fax mail message and        send the forwarded fax to any fax machine.    -   Respond to the fax immediately by selecting buttons (e.g., *1)        to speak to a live operator who transcribes a voice-to-text        message. The message is delivered to the originating fax machine        and/or the fax machine that delivered the message.    -   The user may also select buttons (e.g., *2) to create a live        call to the sender of the fax mail message. The sender's voice        number is dialed automatically and a response to the fax mail        message may be delivered personally or to the sender's voice        mail system.

Referring to FIG. 12, as a receiver dials into the telephone accessmessage repository, he or she has several store and forward options toreview the waiting e-mail:

-   -   Listen to the e-mail message using a text-to-voice translation        process.    -   Delete or save the e-mail message after review.    -   Forward the e-mail message to any e-mail account. If needed,        attach a comment to the forwarded e-mail message through a        voice-to-text translation process or with a file in an audio        format such as xing.    -   Forward the e-mail message to any telephone access service        account. If needed, attach a comment to the forwarded e-mail        message through a voice-to-text translation process or with a        voice file. This option is similar to the forwarding options        available on most corporate voice mail packages.    -   Attach a voice-to-text comment with the e-mail, convert to a fax        format, and send the forwarded e-mail message to any fax        machine.    -   Respond to the e-mail message immediately by selecting buttons        (e.g., *1) to compose a return e-mail message with a        voice-to-text translation message. In addition, a response may        be created by sending a voice file (e.g., as formatted in        accordance with the xing protocol) or by selecting a prerecorded        message. The message is delivered to the originating e-mail        address.    -   The user may also select buttons (e.g., *2) to create a live        call to the sender of the e-mail message. The sender's voice        number is dialed automatically and a response to the e-mail        message may be delivered personally or to the sender's voice        mail system.

For the messages that are stored in the computer access messagerepository, receivers may review those messages by dialing in with amodem-equipped computer. The options available to review the messagesdepend on the type of message (voice, fax, or e-mail.)

Referring to FIG. 13, as a receiver dials into the computer accessmessage repository, he or she has several store and forward options toreview the waiting voice mail message (based on the user's earlierchoice to have voice mail message forwarded from the telephone accessmessage repository to the computer access message repository):

-   -   Listen to the voice mail message using connection software with        audio file support (such as xing).    -   Delete or save the voice mail message after review.    -   Forward the voice mail message to any other computer access        service account with a text command (if necessary). The voice        mail message may be heard using connection software that        supports an audio protocol such as xing.

Other options may be made at the computer access service interface, butperformed at the telephone access message repository. For example, if auser wants to forward a voice mail message to another telephone accessservice account or to a cellular/landline telephone, this instructionmay be delivered back to the telephone access service provider whichtransfers the voice mail messages to the appropriate device.

Referring to FIG. 14, as a receiver dials into the computer accessmessage repository, he or she has several store and forward options toreview the waiting fax mail message (based on the user's earlier choiceto have fax mail message forwarded from the telephone access messagerepository to the computer access message repository):

-   -   View the fax mail message using connection software with fax        viewer support.    -   Delete or save the fax mail message after review.    -   Forward the fax mail message to any computer access service        account with a text comment (if necessary). The fax mail message        may be viewed using connection software with a fax viewer.    -   Attach a comment to the fax mail message and send the forwarded        fax to any fax machine.    -   Respond to the fax immediately by selecting reply and composing        a return fax. The text message may be delivered to the        originating fax machine and/or the fax machine that delivered        the message.

Other options may be chosen at the computer access interface, butperformed at the telephone access service. For example, if a user wantsto forward a fax mail message to another telephone access messagerepository, this instruction may be delivered back to the telephoneaccess service which transfers the fax mail message to the appropriateaddress.

Referring to FIG. 15, as a receiver dials into the computer accessmessage repository, he or she has several store and forward options toreview the waiting e-mail messages:

-   -   Review the e-mail message    -   Delete or save the e-mail message after review    -   Forward the e-mail message to any e-mail account. If needed,        attach a comment to the forwarded e-mail message.    -   Attach a comment with the e-mail, convert the text to a fax        format, and send the forwarded e-mail message to any fax        machine.    -   Respond to the e-mail immediately by selecting reply and        composing a return e-mail message. The message may be delivered        to the originating e-mail address.

Other options may be chosen at the computer access service interface,but performed at the telephone access service. For example, if a userwants to forward an e-mail message to another telephone access messagerepository, this instruction may be delivered back to the telephoneaccess service which then transfers the e-mail message to theappropriate address.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, immediate filter andforward as well as store and forward options are selected using anon-line interface for the computer access service. The options are usedto establish rules to be applied to inbound and outbound messages.Different rules may be established (via options) for each sender fromwhich a message receiver expects to receive messages. Preferably, asender is chosen from an on-line address book. By selecting a sender,the e-mail, fax mail, and voice addresses/numbers are retrievedautomatically from an address database into a filtering rules area sothat filtering criteria may be established for the sender. Next, theforwarding rules are defined for each inbound communication. Forexample, if a voice mail message is received from John Smith (thesender), the receiver defines specific voice forwarding options for JohnSmith. If a fax mail message is received from John Smith, the receiverdefines specific fax forwarding options for John Smith. If an e-mailmessage is received from John Smith, the receiver may specify e-mailforwarding options for the message. The receiver may also set options todefine rules for receiving notification of incoming messages.

The final step is to download the rules to the telephone access serviceso voice and fax filtering and forwarding preferences may be applied ascommunications are received at the telephone access message repository.Preferably, the telephone access rules database is updated as changesare made to the rules in the computer access service rules database sothat the same filter/forward rules are applied to a message receiver'sinbound messages whether they are initiated by a message sender via thetelephone or the computer.

Referring to FIG. 16, a message format for messages exchanged betweenthe computer access message repository and the telephone accessrepository is shown. The message may have an envelope 50 and a body 54.The envelope 50 may have a message header that includes several lines oftext 60 identifying the service provider to which the message may beforwarded and other information regarding the source of the message. Thebody of the message 54 includes the message header 56 and message text58 of the original message. The message header 56 of the body 54identifies the original message receiver and the message sender.

The common message format facilitates the exchange of messages inaccordance with various communications media so that messages may beretrieved from the universal mailbox. The common format is based onknown e-mail formats so that messages may be forwarded from the computeraccess message repository to the telephone access message repositoryusing standard e-mail protocols. Using this approach, the telephoneaccess service appears to the computer access service to be anothermember of the service to whom messages may be forwarded. The telephoneaccess service may accept all types of messages, including multipart andbinary messages, that the computer access service is capable ofprocessing. Consequently, e-mail messages may arrive at the telephoneaccess service for reformatting/conversion and distribution to voicemail mailboxes for later retrieval by subscribers.

Using the common message format approach, the telephone access serviceappears to the computer access service to be a service from which e-mailmessages also may be received. Voice mail messages that originate at thetelephone access service may be forwarded to the computer access servicein accordance with an e-mail message that has an attached audio filecontaining the original voice mail message. Computer users may then usetheir connection software to retrieve e-mail messages including thosee-mail messages associated with audio files. The connection software,which is equipped with an audio file player, may then, at the user'srequest, play the voice mail message for the computer user.

Referring again to FIG. 16, the From line 60 of the inbound messageindicates to the receiving service provider (e.g., Premiere) theoriginating service provider (e.g., CompuServe) so that it may beprocessed in accordance with the present invention. For example, thereceiving service provider may apply filter/forward rules according tothe intended message receiver's preferences and perform any messagetranslation that may be required (e.g., translate an e-mail message to avoice mail message format so that the message receiver may use thetelephone to “listen” to the e-mail message.) Using this scheme,additional service providers and additional messages repositoriessupporting different communication modes may be added easily to thenetwork of message repositories that comprise the universal mailbox.

The common message format also facilitates the distribution ofcross-media notifications. Notification or paging messages may be nearlyidentical to the original message except for the recipients. For thenotification/paging message, the telephone access service (e.g.,Premiere) address may be added as a copy recipient (i.e., a recipient ofa copy of a message). The original message's recipient may be changed toindicate that the recipient is “non-responsible” so a second copy of themessage is not delivered to the recipient as a result of sending thenotification message. By leaving the original recipient on thenotification message, the telephone access service knows who to notifyor page. All other attributes of the message may remain the same.

In addition to personal and business communications, the presentinvention may be applied to many other types of communications such asnews and other information accessible, for example, from on-linedatabases. Using the present invention, a message receiver may definefilter and forward rules to be applied to headline, financial, sports,and other news retrieved from on-line databases. The news informationmay be formatted initially in an e-mail message that is then routed to atelephone access service provider for subsequent retrieval via thetelephone.

Referring to FIG. 17, the telephone call flow for a preferred embodimentof the present invention is shown. Preferably, the caller is presentedwith a menu of options for retrieval of messages and administration ofthe universal mailbox. Menus may be nested so the selection of aparticular option results in the presentation of additional options.

The present invention integrates communications by combining e-mail,voice mail, and fax mail in a universal mailbox. In a preferredembodiment, the universal mailbox allows users to access their messagesin two ways. Using the present invention, messages senders may use afirst medium for sending messages while message receivers may use asecond communication medium for receiving messages. Messages may thus bereceived in a more timely and convenient manner because receivers are nolonger dependent upon accessing their messages using the communicationmode of the sender. Forwarding and reformatting/conversion are performedautomatically so message receivers may take advantage of the features ofthe present invention by selecting options to define rules to be appliedto inbound messages. Senders may also select options to define rules tobe applied to outbound messages.

Although the invention is described in detail with specific reference toa single preferred embodiment and certain alternatives, it is notlimited to that particular embodiment or alternatives. For example, theconfiguration of the components that provide the features andfunctionality of the present invention may change and fall within thescope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the presentinvention is defined by the following claims.

1. A method for communicating comprising: storing, at a first accessservice, outbound message rules that are defined by a sending subscriberof the first access service, at least some of the outbound message rulescontrolling whether messages are transferred from one access service toanother access service; receiving, at the first access service, amessage that is sent by the sending subscriber; applying at least one ofthe outbound message rules for the sending subscriber to the messagereceived at the first access service; transferring the message from thefirst access service to a second access service in accordance with atleast one of the outbound message rules; reformatting the message at thesecond access service based on at least one of the outbound messagerules; and storing the reformatted message at the second access servicefor retrieval by a receiving subscriber.
 2. The method of claim 1wherein the first access service is an online information serviceprovider.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the second access service isa telecommunications service provider.
 4. The method of claim 1 whereintransferring the message from the first access service to the secondaccess service comprises transferring the message on a dedicatedcommunication link between the first access service and the secondaccess service.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a message atthe first access service comprises receiving an email message at thefirst access service.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein reformatting themessage at the second access service comprises reformatting the emailmessage to a voice mail message.
 7. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising retrieving by the receiving subscriber the reformattedmessage from the second access service.
 8. The method of claim 7 whereinretrieving the reformatted message from the second access servicecomprises retrieving the reformatted message using a telephone.
 9. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the outbound message rules specify that amessage sent to the receiving subscriber as an email message is to bedelivered to the receiving subscriber as a voice mail message.
 10. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the outbound message rules specify that amessage sent to the receiving subscriber as an email message is to bedelivered to the receiving subscriber as a fax mail message.
 11. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the outbound message rules specify that amessage sent to the receiving subscriber as a voice mail message is tobe delivered to the receiving subscriber as an email message.
 12. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the outbound message rules specify that amessage sent to the receiving subscriber as a voice mail message is tobe delivered to the receiving subscriber as a fax mail message.
 13. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the outbound message rules specify that amessage sent to the receiving subscriber as a fax mail message is to bedelivered to the receiving subscriber as at least one of an emailmessage and a voice mail message.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein themessage is reformatted at the second access service based on at leastone of the outbound message rules that is configured to control whethermessages are transferred from one access service to another accessservice.
 15. A computer program for communicating, the computer programembodied in a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions forcausing a computer to perform operations including: storing, at a firstaccess service, outbound message rules that are defined by a sendingsubscriber of the first access service, at least some of the outboundmessage rules controlling whether messages are transferred from oneaccess service to another access service; receiving, at the first accessservice, a message that is sent by the sending subscriber; applying atleast one of the outbound message rules for the sending subscriber tothe message received at the first access service; transferring themessage from the first access service to a second access service inaccordance with at least one of the outbound message rules; reformattingthe message at the second access service based on at least one of theoutbound message rules; and storing the reformatted message at thesecond access service for retrieval by a receiving subscriber.
 16. Thecomputer program of claim 15 wherein the first access service is anonline information service provider.
 17. The computer program of claim16 wherein the second access service is a telecommunications serviceprovider.
 18. The computer program of claim 15 wherein transferring themessage from the first access service to the second access servicecomprises transferring the message on a dedicated communication linkbetween the first access service and the second access service.
 19. Thecomputer program of claim 15 wherein receiving a message at the firstaccess service comprises receiving an email message at the first accessservice.
 20. The computer program of claim 19 wherein reformatting themessage at the second access service comprises reformatting the emailmessage to a voice mail message.
 21. The computer program of claim 15further comprising retrieving by the receiving subscriber thereformatted message from the second access service.
 22. The computerprogram of claim 21 wherein retrieving the reformatted message from thesecond access service comprises retrieving the reformatted message usinga telephone.
 23. The computer program of claim 15 wherein the outboundmessage rules specify that a message sent to the receiving subscriber asan email message is to be delivered to the receiving subscriber as avoice mail message.
 24. The computer program of claim 15 wherein theoutbound message rules specify that a message sent to the receivingsubscriber as an email message is to be delivered to the receivingsubscriber as a fax mail message.
 25. The computer program of claim 15wherein the outbound message rules specify that a message sent to thereceiving subscriber as a voice mail message is to be delivered to thereceiving subscriber as an email message.
 26. The computer program ofclaim 15 wherein the outbound message rules specify that a message sentto the receiving subscriber as a voice mail message is to be deliveredto the receiving subscriber as a fax mail message.
 27. The computerprogram of claim 15 wherein the outbound message rules specify that amessage sent to the receiving subscriber as a fax mail message is to bedelivered to the receiving subscriber as at least one of an emailmessage and a voice mail message.
 28. The computer program of claim 15wherein the message is reformatted at the second access service based onat least one of the outbound message rules that is configured to controlwhether messages are transferred from one access service to anotheraccess service.
 29. A system comprising: means for storing, at a firstaccess service, outbound message rules that are defined by a sendingsubscriber of the first access service, at least some of the outboundmessage rules controlling whether messages are transferred from oneaccess service to another access service; means for receiving, at thefirst access service, a message that is sent by the sending subscriber;means for applying at least one of the outbound message rules for thesending subscriber to the message received at the first access service;means for transferring the message from the first access service to asecond access service in accordance with at least one of the outboundmessage rules; means for reformatting the message at the second accessservice based on at least one of the outbound message rules; and meansfor storing the reformatted message at the second access service forretrieval by a receiving subscriber.